Engine-governing device



(No Model.)

D. HIGI-IAM.

ENGINE GOVERNING DEVICE.

No. 395,233. Patented Dec. 25. 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ENGINE-GOVERNING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,233, dated December 25, 1888.

Application filed June '7, 1888. Serial No. 276,346. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL I'IIGHAM, a citizen of the United States, and arcsident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Steam-Engine-Governing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of steamengine-governing devices in which a dashpot or similar yielding resistance is combined with governing or regulating devices to give them stability.

In the accompanying drawing I illustrate my invention in its simplest form as applied to a common form or construction of centrifugal wheel-governor.

In the drawing, A is a wheel mounted upon the main shaft of the engine or a shaft driven thereby.

B 13 are the centrifugal weights or levers, pivoted to the wheel. and connected by means of links (Z to a disk, D, which'is loose upon the shaft. From this disk the means for controlling the supply of motive fluid may be operated by any of the well-known mechanisms in common use. I have not shownany devices for this purpose, as they do not form any essential part of my present invention.

b S are springs, each of which is connected at one end to the rim of the wheel and at the other end adjustably connected to a centrifugal weight or weighted lever, 15. 'lhese springs oppose the centrifugal forceimparted to the weights or weighted levers B by the rotation of the wheel, and are so adjusted that the increase or decrease in the tension of the springs shall be the same as the increase or decrease in the centrifugal. force imparted to the weights in any of their different positions for a given speed of the engine. With this adjustment of the regulating forces,which is the adjustment for an absolute constancy of speed, a dash-pot or other similar gradually yieldin g device is necessary to insure stability of the regulating parts. The most perfect of these devices hitherto in use consists in the employment of a daslrpot connected through a spring to the moving parts of the regulating mechanism.

My invention consists in combining with the abovedescribed adjusted governing de- -the center of the wheel.

vices a centrifugal device, together with a dash-pot or other yicldi n g resistance, whereby the governing devices shall be rendered centrifugally stable. In the present instance I have shown this centrifugal device as a weight, IV, pivoted to the wheel A. and to this weight is connected a dash-pot, IE, which in turn is connected to one of the centrifugal weights or weighted levers B. I do not, however, wish to limit myself to this precise arrangement, for, if preferred, the connections may be reversed that is, the piston of the dash-pot may be pivoted to the wheel, while the weight \V is pivoted to one of the centrifugal weights 13.

The action of this device will be readily understood from the foregoing description. ()win g to the rotation of the wheel the weight \V will tend to keep in a line radiating from Now, if the speed of the engine should suddenly increase-on account of a reduction in load, for instance the centrifugal weights 1 would fly outward, the dash-pot E, which should be a slow yielding one, would for the moment act as a fixed connection, and the weight \Y would be drawn aside. The result of this would be that the centrifugal force imparted to the weight \V would pull through the dash-pot E against the centri'li'ugal force of the weights B. This is exactly what is needed to render stable a perfect]y-balanced governor, .for it will be re membered that the speed of the engine had for the moment increasenl above the normal in order to effect the movement of the regu lating parts, which of course, would also so increase the centrifugal force of the weights 1-3 as to destroy the balance existing between the same and the opposing springs S; but on account of the pull or force exerted by the weight as described above, this increase in the centrifugal action of the weights B over the opposing force of the springs S will be compensated for.

The dash-pot E will of course allow the weight IV to gradually take up its original position, where it will be ready to perform the same function for either of the opposing forces whether an inner or outward movement occurs. In this position the centrifugal force of the weight IV will be ml and the engine will run at a constant speed under all changes of load and boiler-pressure.

I claim as my invention The combination of the Wheel of a steam- 5 engine governor, having centrifugal weights and opposing springs for the regulating parts, With an additional centrifugal Weight and a connection giving a yielding resistance to act upon the regulating parts to make them centrifugally stable, substantially as set IO forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' DANIEL HIGHAM.

\Vitnesses:

. HARRY SMITH,

HENRY HoWsoN. 

